Page 56 of Jetmir

Maybe I was losing my mind, but I could have sworn he was at the club. That familiar sensation that only happened whenever he was around lingered the entire night. Maybe it was my paranoia—or wishful thinking—but I didn’t think so.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

My sixth sense told me he was there, and after the signs of deception I ignored after our short weeks of marriage, I’d learned not to ignore my gut feeling.

Hide-and-seek. That’s what we’d been playing all this time.

I shifted on the bed again, exhaustion heavy in my bones. I felt tired, but my mind refused to calm.

I was an idiot to still feel anything. So damn stupid. Yet, I couldn’t shake off these cursed feelings. A simple glance from that man could light me on fire and melt my soul. In the most consuming way.

But there was already so much broken between Jetmir and I, and honestly, it started long before I ever even met him. It started when he first approached Gabriel, but of course, I hadn’t learned that until it was way too late.

Or at least that’s the lie I’ve been telling myself for years.

If I’d had his true identity from the get-go, I would have kept my distance. I would have fought the attraction. I wouldn’t have fallen for him. Or maybe I wouldn’t, but I would have gone into it open-eyed. Or at least that’s the lie I’ve been telling myself for years.

Even my mind mocked that unspoken lie.

“I wouldn’t have,” I protested to the dark, empty room. The truth was that the attraction to him had been so damn different. Such a new, unfamiliar feeling.

Yes, I had gotten good at lying to myself. Somewhere deep down, I knew the road would have always led me to Jetmir Thorne Volkov-Tijuana.

“Talking to yourself, my angel?” a deep voice rasped. I shot up into a sitting position to find my ex-husband looming over me.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed. My heart rattled beneath my ribs and my lungs struggled to pull in air.

“Taking back what’s mine, angel.”

I shook my head. “You’re crazy. My papa will kill you.”

He smiled cruelly. “He’ll have to catch me first.”

I opened my mouth to scream, but before a sound could break through, a hand covered my lips. With wide eyes, I watched him push a syringe into my neck. I attempted to struggle, my vision turning fuzzy.

My eyes locked on Jetmir’s blurry face with disbelief.

“I told you,” he whispered, “it’s you and me forever.”

The last thing I remembered was that distinct, spicy scent in my nose as darkness crept in.

Then there was nothing but the abyss.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

JETMIR

My wife’s warm body slumped against my chest, her head falling into the crook of my neck as though she’d chosen to sleep there instead of being drugged into unconsciousness.

At her feet, Dozer sprawled across the fluffy white blankets with all the concern of a creature who trusted the people around him wholeheartedly. He hadn’t so much as lifted his head.

Of course, it was because I’d had him first. I’d spent weeks getting him used to Anya’s scent, then mine, rewarding him with treats and teaching him not to bark at my presence.

Tonight, that training paid off.

I bent carefully, tucking the French bulldog beneath one arm like a football while making sure he was comfortable. He gave an annoyed grunt and scrunched his nose, then settled against my side as if midnight kidnappings were part of his bedtime routine.

Then with Anya cradled securely against my chest, I slipped out of the bedroom.